Queen of the Mountain: Kelly McDonnell

Favorite local trails: Northern Colorado

• Blue Sky Indian Summer - flowy single track with amazing views
• Devil's Backbone - keep going on Indian Summer to be transported to another planet with techy, rocky features
• Towers, Carey Springs, Sawmill, Nomad loop. Suffery uphill for sweet, fast and flowy downhill. The perfect 60-minute loop. 

My most memorable ride:

Do I have to pick just one?? I guess it has to be The Don Ride in 2020, when four of us decided it would be "fun" to train for this epic annual ride in Salida. We started out before dawn and got back to camp a little after dusk. In almost 70 miles of mostly single track, we had high spirits, faced near bonks, ate weird snacks, hike-a-biked (up and down), got lost, got rained on, thought maybe we'd get struck by lightning, had an angel trail fairy provide a morale boost with some trail beers, and somehow managed to survive and have "fun" doing it.

Tell us about your first ride!

I typically do things without much forethought, so I sort of just went for it. I borrowed a bike - turned out to be what's called a "fully rigid single speed," donned a pair of spandex running shorts, running sneakers, a crop top, a commuter helmet, which was more fashion than it was helmet. I went with a fairly large group, which made the ride feel really accessible (read: lots of breaks). We rode Blue Sky (which is about ~6 miles of flowy out and back if you make it to the sign; we did not make it to the sign before it threatened to get dark, so all in all we probably rode about 4 miles). I can't really remember much about how I felt before or after, but I kept riding, so I'm pretty sure I was hooked.

What's something you accomplished or are proud of while biking last year?

I recently broke my wrist while mountain biking, and I got back into the saddle this year, which I'm quite proud of myself for. I still have a lot of fear about falling (even though before the wrist incident, I would fall ALL the time and just shrug off any bruises and blood), so I have a bit of mental work still to do, but when I can catch a glimpse of that flow state, I know all my work will pay off.

What's something you want to accomplish this year on the bike?

I feel like I say this every year: get stronger and nail those tight corners! 

What's a piece of advice that changed something about your riding? 

When I started riding, someone told me to look where I want to be, not where I am (basically, look beyond the obstacle), and I take that with me on every ride. If you can picture yourself beyond a feature, your bike and body will take you there.

What advice would you give new female riders?

Find friends you can have fun with, who can push you to feel strong, and let you know it's ok when you don't.

What advice would you ask more experienced riders?

Always want to know how to corner, especially tight & techy. And jumping techniques, please!